Brace Face
by Snow Princess Galian
Summary: Sequel to Tai's Weird Day. The girl with braces is out for revenge!!
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
WARNING: This story contains mushy love stuff, and lots of it. Pay attention, guys, this is the kind of stuff us girls wanna hear. (Well, most of us, anyway)  
Author's note: I know that in Japan, people use their family names first and their own names second, but in my fics, people say their family name last. Just know that the girl in my story's first name is Chitose and her family name is Hamato. One more thing, in this fic, I use American money.  
  
Brace Face  
  
Tai and Sora walked in the park, holding each others hands. They had never been so happy before. It was like they were in heaven. They both stopped and stared into each others eyes. "Sora," Tai began, "Your eyes are so beautiful. They're like two hazel gems shining in space; their heavenly light so bright that a white shield surrounds them."  
"Oh, Tai," Sora said quietly as she placed her hand on his cheek. Her hand slowly made its way to the back of his neck, gently pulling him towards her. Tai wrapped his arms around her waste and Sora's free arm wrapped around him. As their lips met, Tai moved his right hand up to Sora's head. He gently combed her soft hair with his fingers. They stood there, in that position. Eyes closed, lips touching, and they didn't care who saw them. Perhaps they should've taken that into consideration.  
"Arg! That slut!" a mysterious girl with braces said, looking at Sora through her binoculars. "I'll show her! I'll make her pay for what she did to my beautiful face! She'll pay or my name's not Chitose Hamato!"  
Tai and Sora slowly broke off their kiss. Sora sighed and rested her head on Tai's chest, listening to his heart beat. Tai licked his lips. "Sora, you're wearing that strawberry lip gloss again. What's the occasion?"  
"Tai, I don't need a reason to wear flavored lip gloss! Just being with you is special enough!"  
"I can't take much more of this!" Chitose said, hiding in the bushes. "I have to get Tai away from her and destroy her! But how to separate them? I know!"  
Chitose ran off in search of a girl about Sora's height and age. When she found one. "Hey, excuse me, girl?"  
"Yeah?" a girl with blonde hair replied.  
"I need you to do a favor for me. I've got money."  
"How much?"  
"Twenty bucks?"  
"What do you need me to do?"  
Chitose and the girl returned to the spot where Tai and Sora were. "Okay, I need you to run up to the girl over there, and act like you know her from a long time ago. Run up like you're all excited to see her. So excited, that you 'accidentally' push her into the bushes. Then, hold her down as long as you can. I warn you though, she's pretty tough. If she starts throwing punches, get out of there!"  
"Wait a minute. You never said I was going up against some one who can fight! It's too dangerous!"  
"Okay, fine. I'll just find some other, braver, girl who's willing to pick up a measly twenty bucks for a few.."  
"Okay, I'll do it!"  
The girl and Chitose took their positions. When she was ready, Chitose signaled for the girl to go. She ran up out of the bushes and tackled Sora, sending both of them into the bushes. "Oh my God, I know you from some where! You're um, Sora! Right?"  
"Yes, just who are you?"  
"I was in your kindergarten class, don't you recognize me?"  
As the girl stalled Sora as long as she could, Chitose snuck up behind Tai, who was watching the whole thing with a sweat drop on his head. Chitose had a wrench in her hand and slowly raised it when she was in striking range. "Sorry, Taichi." She whispered before bringing her weapon down on his head, knocking him unconscious. Chitose quickly dragged the unconscious boy into the bushes before anyone noticed. She then whistled at the girl.  
"That's my sister! Gotta go!" she said letting Sora up and disappearing into the bushes across the walkway.  
Sora got up and walked out. "I could've sworn I've never seen that girl in my life. Man, that was pretty weird, huh Tai? Tai?"  
She looked around, but Tai was no where in sight. She called out his name, but got no response. Chitose just sat and laughed as Sora tried to find her love, but to no avail. "C'mon, Tai. I gotta get started on the surprise I've cooked up for your little girl friend!"  
Sora after a few hours of walking around the park, Sora sat down at a bench and began to cry silently. "Something had to have happened to him. He'd never just run off like this. That girl! She must know something about this!"  
After a few hours of searching, Sora found the blonde haired girl. Enraged, she ran up and tackled her. "Where's Tai?!!" She screamed into her face.   
"What Tai, who's Tai!?"  
"Tai! You know, the kid with the goggles and the blue T-shirt?"  
"Oh, him. I don't know."  
"Bull-crap!! Where is he?!"   
"I really don't know!"  
"All I know is that Tai suddenly disappeared after YOU tackled me! I know you know something! What happened to him!?"  
"I think that girl took him!"  
"What girl?"  
"There was this girl with braces and brown hair! She said she'd give me twenty bucks if I tackled you and pretend I knew you."  
"Where did she take him?"  
"I don't know! She paid me in advance, so when she signaled for me to let you up, I just ran off."  
"Did she tell you her name?"  
"No, but the name Chitose Hamato was embroidered on her bag."   
"Do you know anything else?"  
"No."  
"Damn!"   
"Look, she never told me why she wanted me to push you into the bushes. If I knew she was going to kidnap someone, I wouldn't have done it! I swear!"  
Sora slowly let the girl up. She was burning with rage. She couldn't wait to find that girl and beat the crap out of her like she did in the park that day she and Tai declared their love. "She'll be sorry!" Sora declared silently. With that, she ran off to see Izzy. Maybe he could help her find this 'Chitose Hamato'.  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Brace Face Part Two

Tai slowly opened his eyes. His head was pounding and the bright light shining down on him stabbed into his brain like needles. He had no idea what had happened, all he knew was that he was in some sort of bed and there was a figure standing to the right of him.

"Where am I?" he groggily asked the figure.

"Shhh, don't talk. You need your strength. You've been out for a long time." The gently voice of the figure replied.

"How long?"

"Six hours. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up. Now that you're finally awake, can I get you anything?"

"Tylenol and maybe something to drink."

"Your wish is my command."

The figure walked out of the room. 'Her voice, it sounds familiar.' Tai thought to himself. His eyes started to focus and he saw that he was in someone's bedroom. A girl's bedroom by the looks of it. He tried to get up, only to discover that he was tied to the bed. His wrists were tied to the head of the bed and his ankles to the foot. When the figure returned, he immediately recognized her. "You! I should've known!"

"Why, what ever do you mean, Taichi?" she said putting her hand to her mouth in a shocked expression.

"Don't play dumb with me, metal mouth! You're the one who knocked me out, aren't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous! I found you laying unconscious in the middle of the park. That kid with the blond hair tried to off you so that he could steal your girl friend!"

"Matt!? No way, he'd never do that! He's my friend and besides, he has his sights on another girl! I know it was you!"

"You have no proof!"

"Oh, I've got proof! First of all, if you weren't so jealous of Sora and planning on stealing me from her, then how did you know my name? Second, if you found me laying unconscious in the park and wanted to help me, then why the hell am I tied to the bed? Third….."

"Alright, alright! It was me! But I had just cause!"

"Like what?"

"Well, when I saw you on the bus, I knew we were made for each other! I could just sense it! And I had to get back at that bitch for what she did to me in the park anyway. Still, I'll never forget how happy I was when I found you in the park. How free I felt when I embraced you and kissed you before that bitch showed up. How pure and innocent I felt when I held you, all those years ago.."

"What the hell do you mean 'all those years ago'? That happened last week!"

"I know that! It just felt like years, without you by my side Taichi."

"Oh, brother…"

"It doesn't matter now. Soon the world will be rid of Sora Takenouchi."

"What?!"

"That's right."

"If you so much as hurt one hair on her head.."

"Who said I was going to destroy her. As much as I'd like that honor myself, I have to admit, she's a formidable opponent. Fortunately for me, my family is rich, so I've hired a few people to do the dirty work for me."

"Hit men?"

"Well, not exactly. I've hired a few martial arts students about our age to take care of her."

"Kids?"

"They are to over take her and make her demise look like an accident. Won't that be more interesting though? Having kids as my hit men, giving Sora a fighting chance. It'll be kind of like a spy movie, only this time, the good guys have the unfair advantage and like all the others, good will triumph."

"What do you mean 'the good guys have the unfair advantage'?"

"In all spy movies, the good guy has to penetrate the bad guy's hide out and stuff, but we're the good guys here, Taichi. She's the evil one!"

"There is nothing evil about Sora!"

"Oh, what's so great about her anyway?"

"Well, for starters, SHE HAS NEVER KNOCKED ME UNCONSCIOUS AND TIED ME TO A FUCKING BED!!!!"

"Oh, Taichi. You make me laugh! Someday, you'll realize that I'm only doing this for your own good."

With that, Chitose took out a handkerchief soaked with some sort of chemical and held it under his nose. "By the way, my name's Chitose. It was nice to talk to you." Those were the last words Tai heard before losing consciousness.


	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
  
  
Brace Face Part Three  
  
  
Izzy typed furiously on his computer while Sora sat beside him. Suddenly, he slammed his fist into his desk in frustration. "What? Were you not able to find Hamato in the directory?" Sora asked.  
  
"It's not that, quite the contrary, infact. I've found over thirty Hamatos. Isn't there anyway we can narrow it down?"  
"I don't know. Matt! Matt knows a lot of people! Maybe he'll know something. Thanks for you help, Izzy!"  
Sora was just about to exit when Izzy stopped her. "Hold on, Sora. I'm coming too."  
"But, Izzy, it's..."  
"My business, too. I can't just sit around playing computer games knowing one of my friends may have been kidnapped! Besides, you'll probably need my skills. Let's go!"  
  
Sora knew a pointless argument when she saw one. Besides, Izzy was right. She was going to need all the help she could get. With that, they both went to Matt's house. Of course, by the time they left, it was pretty late.  
  
"I just don't feel right about sneaking out of my own house so late at night." Izzy said as they walked through the dark streets.  
"You've done it before, haven't you? This is just as important as protecting the city from digimon attacks. Tai's life may be in danger."  
"If I were you, I'd be worrying about my own life right now!!" a dark voice came from the alley.  
  
Three young strong-looking kids walked out of the alley. Each one was holding a bo. They leered evilly at Sora and then at Izzy. "This is what Chitose wanted us to take care of, a girl?" one of them said.  
  
"This'll be easy!"  
"I'll say."  
"Hey, look what we got here," one of them said, pointing at Izzy. "A witness!"  
"Cool! Maybe will get paid double for having to take him out too!"  
"Don't count on it!" Sora said, standing protectivly in front of Izzy. "If you want him, you'll have to get through me first!"  
  
This made the three boys laugh. They had never been challanged by a girl before. As far as they knew, a woman's place was in the kitchen. Sora was about to prove them wrong. "Izzy, hand me that piece of plie wood over there." Sora said, pointing to a spiceially shaped piece of wood. Something that would make for a perfect weapon in this situation. "You're not actually thinking of fighting them, are you?" Izzy said, concerned for his friend's well-being.  
  
"Just give it to me, Izzy. I'll show you and these arogant boys just what a girl can do!"  
  
Izzy trusted that Sora knew what hse was doing, so he retreved the piece of wood for her. She took her weapon and stood ready. She received another laugh from the boys.  
  
"I'll take you on, one at a time, no cheating. Those sound like fair conditions to you, guys?" Sora said, leering at them.  
"Woah, she really wants to fight us." One of them said, slightly surprised.  
"Well, she'll be sorry when she sees just what we can do. Maybe we sould go easy on her."  
"No, we can't. Chitose wants her dead. Let's just get the job with over as soon as possible. Okay, girly, you got yourself a match. You can take me on first."  
  
A boy wearing a red bandana stepped forward. Sora walked towards him and stopped just a few feet infront of her opponent. "Give us a starting signal, Joya!"  
  
Sora and the boys leered into each others eyes. Sora's anger grew worse when she saw him smirking. 'I'll give this guys a fight to remember!' she raged in her head. The boy named Joya raised his hand, then threw it down to the ground.   
  
"Fight!"  



	4. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Brace Face Part Four

The boy swung his bo around and tried to get Sora in the face. She blocked that attack and then blocked another attack to her side. Her opponent quickly became frustrated and humiliated as she continued to block attack after attack. Suddenly, Sora attacked and hit the boy in the side. She then brought her weapon up and smacked him in the face, over and over again. When the boy started bleeding form the nose, Sora jabbed him in the stomach then brought her weapon down on his head, knocking him to the ground.

The other boys laughed at their beaten friend while Sora stood triumphantly. Suddenly, the boy swiped his bo across the ground, knocking her off of her feet. The boy stood up and was about to bring his bo down on Sora, but she blocked it. She quickly got to her feet and the two fighters exchange attacks. Sometime through out the exchange of blows, the boy knocked Sora's weapon out of her hands.

Sora would've expected the boy to beat her senseless, now that she was un armed, but to her surprise, the boy tossed his bo aside. "It's not honorable to fight an un armed opponent with a weapon. Even though I'm suppose to kill you and I'd love to beat you shitless after you humiliated me, I can't put honor aside." He said as he put up his fists.

Sora put up her fists and stood ready. The two circled for a while before the boy punched Sora in the face. Sora threw a punch at the guy, but she missed. He was about to punch Sora again, but she blocked it. They continued to exchange punches, until Sora kicked the guy in the chest and then, did a spinning kick and got the guy in the jaw. The guy punched Sora in the face and then kicked her in the stomach. Sora gasped a bit and the guy tried to kick her in the stomach again. She grabbed the guy's leg and held on to it tightly. The guy tried to free his leg from Sora's grasp and she kicked his other leg out from under him. She dropped him, pinned him to the ground, and beat him into submission.

This took the other two boys by a complete surprise. Sora slowly walked over to where the boy had tossed his bo and picked it up. She turned to the other guys and smiled. "Who's next?" she challenged. A boy wearing a green bandana stepped forward. "I'll take you on." He said.

This time, her opponent was aware of what a good fighter Sora was, so she didn't have that advantage. The boy stood ready with his bo and leered at her. Sora narrowed her eyes and stood with her left foot behind her. Suddenly, the boy swung his bo at her. She didn't see it in time and was smacked in the jaw. Just as Sora recovered from the first hit, she received another hit to the face. She brought her bo to her face and successfully blocked the boy's next attack. She quickly swung her bo around and got the guy in the cheek. This completely caught the boy off guard and she had a chance to try that new move she had been working on; the one Tai had taught her.

Sora took her bo in one hand and spun it like a baton. The boy lifted his head just in time to be pummeled by both ends of the bo. Sora then took the bo with both hands and spun around, spinning the bo above her head. When she caught the guy in the side of his head, she whipped the bo down on his head again. She kicked the boy in the face and he fell backwards. She kicked the boy in the head and beat him with her bo until he was unconscious.

The last boy could only gape as he saw the unconscious forms of his friends. Each one of them beaten, by a girl! Sora wiped a little bit of blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at the other guy. "What about you?" she said. The last boy leered at her and dropped down in front of her. "You're crazy if you think I'll be beaten by you!"

He said and he abruptly smacked Sora in the face with his bo.

He then knocked her to the ground and beat her with his bo, over and over again. Izzy was enraged. He didn't even give Sora a chance to get ready. This one had no honor. The boy began to kick Sora in the side. Izzy stood ready, then lunged at him when his foot was in the air. He tackled him when his foot was all the way back, instantly knocking him to the ground. Sora saw the whole thing and quickly got to her feet. Not wasting any time, Sora took her bo and swung at the guy's head like a golf club, instantly knocking him out.

"You were really great!" Izzy admitted when he finished tying up the three boys. He then tossed them back into the alley and turned towards Sora, who took the bo in hand. "I think I'll hang on to this for a while, I might need it."


	5. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Brace Face Part Five

Sora and Izzy continued through the dark streets. Sora still held the bo in her hands and other than a few bruises on her face, she looked great. Almost as if she had never gotten into a fight. To bad no one could say the same thing about the poor saps who fought her. "I was wondering, Sora, who taught you to fight like that?" Izzy asked.

"It was Tai. You see, his mom took martial arts for over ten years, and she passed along that knowledge to Tai, who passed it on to me. There was nothing I liked more than when Tai would give me a martial arts lesson. That was back when we were just best friends. Tai is a great fighter, he can fight with a few more weapons than I can. The only weapon I'm really good at is the bo, though I'm sure you already know that. Tai can fight with a bo, katanas, and sais. He's teaching me how to fight with other weapons, though. He's great! He never puts any one down because of their gender. Tai actually offered to teach me martial arts; he said it would enhance my coordination. He never thought that I would be too scared to fight, or that women can't fight as well as men, but I guess it's easy to think that way when your mother is teaching you how to fight and has always protected you. Anyway, that's how I learned how to fight like that. Tai has taught me a lot about martial arts, but now……he could be……I don't even want to think about it!"

Sora dropped her bo and fell to her knees, tears slowly leaking out of her eyes. Izzy walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "Now, now. We don't know for sure that he's in any danger. Tai's tough. He could've escaped, you know."

"I don't know, Izzy. I just have a feeling that he's in danger. I just wish I knew if he was all right or not. God, what has happened to him?!"

When Tai came to, he was still tied to a bed in the exact same fashion, only it was a different bed, and he was in a different room. The walls were gray and the only source of light was a pathetic little light bulb dangling above. To the right of his bed was a small wooden dresser and on the right wall, there was a small window. There was a little closet in the same wall as the window and a door across the room from Tai's bed.

"Oh great. Now where am I?" he muttered to no one inparticular.

He struggled against the ropes for a while, then decided to stop when his wrist started bleeding a bit. He stared at the ceiling for a while, wondering about what his family must be going through. He had no idea what time it was, or how long he had been Chitose's prisoner, but he could just picture his poor mother pulling her hair out with worry. Tai, suddenly heard the door open. He looked up to see who it was, although that wasn't really necessary.

"Sorry about knocking you out, again." Chitose started. "I had to move you up here. It just wouldn't do to have my parents find you."

"Are we even in the same building?" Tai asked.

"Yes, like I said before, my family's rich. We have a huge house, so don't even bother screaming for help."

"Hey, um, what'd you say your name was, Chitose?"

"Yes? Do you need anything?"

"Yes. Food. I am really, REALLY hungry."

"I am so sorry! You must be hungry after all that you've been through, even though you were unconscious practically the whole time."

"Could you please just get me something to eat!"

Chitose giggled and walked over to Tai. "You're so cute!" She said. She walked over to him and gently brushed a small strand of bangs out of his face. She then lowered her head and kissed him. Tai struggled a bit, but there wasn't much he could do. After a few minutes, Chitose slowly pulled back and stared at Tai, her eyes full of passion.

"Don't worry, I'll get you something good to eat." She said, patting Tai's stomach.

Tai tried to lunge at her, but the ropes only cut deeper into his wrists. He had never been so angry. How could she do this to him? Even though there wasn't anything he could've done, he felt like her had betrayed Sora. Chitose left the room and Tai returned to staring at the ceiling. He just stared, wishing to God that the ropes that held him would just disappear.


	6. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Brace Face Part Six

"Pst! Matt! Wake up!" Sora tried to shake Matt out of his slumber, but that was proving to be more difficult than she had expected. Frustrated, Sora pulled the bed sheet out from under him, causing him to fall out of bed with a thud. "Hey, what's going….Sora!" Sora quickly clapped her hand over Matt's mouth.

"Matt, we have an emergency situation on our hands!" Sora whispered to him.

"Matt? What's going on in there?" Matt's father yelled from the living room.

Sora and Izzy quickly crawled under Matt's bed just as his father walked in the room. "What's going on in here? I thought I heard a thud." His father said.

"Oh, that was just me, falling out of bed." Matt replied.

"I thought I heard you talking to someone."

"That must've been me talking in my sleep, I was having a nightmare. Everything's fine now!"

"All right, then. I'll see you in the morning."

"G'night dad."

Mr. Ishida shut the door and Sora crawled out, followed by Izzy. "So what's this emergency situation?" Matt whispered to Sora.

"It's bad, Matt! Tai's been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?"

"Yeah, by someone named Chitose Hamato."

"Chitose Hamato…..that name does sound vaguely familiar."

"You know her?"

"No, but I think that she's my friend's cousin's friend's little sister's friend."

"Wha?"

"Okay, that was kind of confusing, wasn't it. Let me start over. I have a friend, my friend had a cousin, he has a friend, who has a little sister, who has a friend, and I think that that friend is Chitose Hamato."

"Does she have brown hair and braces?"

"I never actually met her, but I've heard about her, I think we're talking about the same person here. Is she rich?"

"Rich enough to hire hit men, that's for sure!"

"I still don't know if she's the person you're looking for, but it wouldn't hurt to pay her a visit. Let's go."

"Matt, before we go, you should know it's kinda dangerous. She's hired martial arts students to destroy us."

"Don't worry, I've got just the thing."

Matt reached into his closet and pulled out a hockey stick.

"You play hockey?" Izzy asked.

"Sometimes me and Tai play with these guys at the park."

"Tai plays hockey?"

"Hey, soccer may be his favorite sport, but it's not the only one he plays."

"Enough talk! Let's go!" Sora broke in.

Matt and Izzy nodded in agreement. Matt quickly got dressed and followed Izzy and Sora out the window. They carefully climbed down the side of the building. "Does Chitose live far from here?" Sora asked Matt.

"No, not really. Just remember, we're just going over to talk to her. I still don't know if we're talking about the same person, so don't jump her the minute she comes to the door, okay Sora?" 

"I got it! Don't worry. But if it is the same Chitose, then can I jump her?"

"Hold it!" a voice from the alley said.

Five martial art students jumped out from behind various objects and stood ready. Matt and Sora took their weapons and stood ready. Izzy stood off to the sidelines, not wanting to get involved in what he thought was senseless violence. Without warning, the five students charged at Matt and Sora in unison. Matt jabbed one student in the stomach then swung his stick around and got another one in the jaw. He then turned and hit that first kid again and altered between the two until they both fell.

Sora spun her bo in one hand and got the other three in the head. She then swiped the ground with her bo and knocked the kids off their feet. Sora pinned one down, while signaled for Matt and Izzy to pin the other two.

"Where's Tai!?" she screamed into one's face. 

"I don't know, who's Tai?" he replied.

"Please, I don't feel like playing this game again! Where is he?"

"I seriously don't know!"

"You have to know something! Some one named Chitose Hamato sent you to kill us, right?"

"Maybe."

Sora elbowed the guy in the neck.

"All right! Jesus, do you have any idea how much that fucking hurts!? Yeah, we were hired to kill you be Chitose Hamato. There, ya happy?"

"Where does she live?"

"In that really huge ass mansion."

"Which really huge ass mansion?"

"You know, the one with the metal fence with the spikes on it. The kind that if you fell on, you'd be impaled."

"Thank you."

With that, Sora, Matt and Izzy knocked the remaining three students unconscious and continued on their rescue mission.


	7. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
  
  
Brace Face Part Seven  
  
Sora walked through the streets, sharp and on the alert. The only thing that escaped her radar were two boys standing on a dark balcony. "She's pretty tough, for a girl." One of them said.  
  
"Yes, and pretty too. But orders are orders." The other said.  
  
He took out a crossbow and aimed it straight at Sora. He smiled lightly as his finger caressed the trigger. "Good bye." He said quietly as he squeezed the trigger. The arrow went flying through the air at break neck speed and planted itself in the back of it's target. Sora cried out in pain as the arrow pierced her back. It had punctured her esophagus and she was coughing up blood. She collapsed and reached her hand out to the stars. "Help, me....Tai...."  
  
"SORA!!!" Tai gasped as he jerked awake. He looked around for a while, breathing heavily. When he confirmed that it was all a bad dream, he looking at the ceiling and started crying. "Sora," he whispered. He was so afraid that something had happened to her, and the nightmares didn't help any.  
  
Chitose watched Tai crying from the closet. She put her hand to her chest. She hated to see him unhappy. She slowly walked out of the shadows. "Taichi?"  
  
"What." he grunted. There was no one on the planet Tai hated more than her at the moment.  
"I'm starting to think that maybe, what I've done is wrong."  
"Oh, YA THINK???"  
"That doesn't change anything, though. I'll be willing to call off the 'hit men' if you confess you love to me."  
"I can't do that! My heart belongs to Sora!"  
"Well, then I'm afraid she must die. It's your chose, Taichi. Me or you friend's life."  
"All right, all right. Just please, don't hurt Sora."  
  
Chitose smiled triumphantly as she pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. Tai closed his eyes and sighed. He felt so defeated. He heard Chitose talking on her phone. He hated her so much. He couldn't stand it. "What? Well, how was I supposed to know they were sissies?" Chitose's voice came from Tai's right. "No, no, I knew she was tough, but I didn't knew she was THAT tough! I didn't mean that! I will, I will I just.....yes I know. You can't! But I didn't do anything! I didn't mean to, w, wait a sec!"   
  
Chitose angrily threw her phone at the wall. She then turned to Tai and walked towards him. Her eyes were full of passion and fear. "Taichi," she began, "that was the ninja clan that I hired the students from. They're angry with me because I called off the operation and they found the students that Sora fought. They're mad because they think I set the whole thing up to humiliate and I won't pay them. They're coming over right now to destroy everyone inside the house, including you."  
"What ninja clan was it?" Tai asked.  
"The Blood Dragon."  
"Blood Dragon!!? You hired students from the Blood Dragon?!! What the hell were you thinking?"  
"Well, it's not like I had a whole lot of options. What do you know about the Blood Dragon Clan?"  
"Quite a lot, actually. The Blood Dragon Clan is a bitter enemy to the Silver Tiger. I study the Silver Tiger form of martial arts and my mother is close friends with one of the masters there. The Blood Dragon will do anything for money and they're relentless killers. We're as good as dead!"  
"You're right!"  
  
Chitose moved closer to Tai and kneeled by the side of his bed. She slowly leaned forward and kissed him. "What are you doing?!" he yelled.  
"You said we were as good as dead, so I figured we should make out before they get here. You know, spend our last moments together."  
  
Chitose continued kissing Tai. She slowly moved her under his shirt and rubbed his stomach. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, but quickly withdrew it when an enraged Tai bit it. "What was that for?!" she yelled at him. Tai leered at Chitose. She sighed. "You're so cute when you're angry." She said. "In fact, you're always cute! Especially when you're sleeping!"  
  
"Then why don't you untie me?"  
"Not just yet, Taichi."  
  
Chitose continued to make out with the defenseless Tai when they heard the sound of several cars screeching to a halt in front of her house. "They're here." They said in unison. Chitose quickly untied Tai, who just sat still and made no resistance until both of his arms and legs were free. He then punched her across the face when she least expected it. "That was for kidnapping me." He punched her again. "That was for trying to hurt Sora." He punched her again. "That was for making a move on me." He then head-butted her. "And that was for being a whiny bitch!"  
  
Chitose slowly got up. She looked into Tai's eyes. "No matter what you do," she began, "I won't stop loving you." Tai rolled his eyes. She was hopeless. "They're setting the house on fire!" she said, looking out the window.  
  
"Then let's get the hell out of here!" Tai said as he made his way for the door, but was stopped by Chitose.  
  
"Please come with me. You'll be killed if you just walk out there." Chitose said. Tai sighed and agreed to follow her. They made their way through a secret passage in the house. They were about on the second floor when they heard the sound of the house falling apart from the fire and the sounds of the ninjas blocking every exit. "We're trapped." Chitose said in defeat.  
  
"Are you happy now?" Tai said annoyed.  
"Please, not now."  
"Is your fucking metal toothed ass happy now?!"  
"Okay, I'm sorry I got us killed! Ya happy?"  
"Not really."  
"Wait, you said you studied martial arts right?"  
"Yeah,"  
"Follow me!"  
  
Chitose lead Tai through another series of passages until they got to a room, a weapon room. There were all sorts of swords and ancient weapons hanging the walls. "Can you fight them?" Chitose asked. Tai silently walked over to the weapon case. He carefully picked up a pair of sais and placed them in his belt. He then picked up an ancient sword and strapped it to his back. He slowly turned towards Chitose with a dead pan face and ice cold eyes. "Yes."   



	8. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Author's note: For those of you who don't know, a sai is an Asian weapon. It looks sort of like a mini pitch fork and they are the weapons used by Raphael from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And a Bo is pretty much a staff.

Brace Face Part Eight

Tai turned to exit the weapon room. Chitose watched him, hands on her chest and eyes lighting up. Tai saw the way she was looking at him. Like he was her hero. He sighed and turned towards her. "Just so there's no confusion, I'm not fighting to protect you, I just want to get out of here and back to my family. You're on you own, got it?"

"But, I untied you!" Chitose said, shocked.

"I wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if it wasn't for you!"

"Fine! I'll find my own way out!"

Chitose grunted and left through the passage way. Tai decided to check the house. Some of Chitose's family might be in trouble. As he left to help get the others out of the house, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for not protecting Chitose. 'Don't think about her, Tai,' he thought to himself 'she kidnapped you and tried to get Sora killed. She brought this whole thing upon herself.' Tai took one last look over his shoulder and left.

"HELP ME!!!" A sweet little girl hugging a teddy bear screamed. She had been chased out of her room by the ninjas and the fire had trapped her. Tears ran down her cheeks as the ninjas closed in for the kill. Just as one of the ninjas held his sword up to bring it down upon the girl, a sai flew threw the air. The ninja gasped in pain and dropped his sword as the sai had stabbed the ninja in the hand. Suddenly, a boy jumped down from the stair case and landed in front of the girl. He unsheathed his sword and stood at a ready stance. The second ninja charged at him, but the boy blocked his attack. The exchanged blows until the boy slashed the ninja's hand. The boy then punched the ninja in the face did a series of martial art kicks. The dazed ninja stumbled back and one well placed kick by the boy sent him into the fire.

The first ninja plucked the sai from his hand and charged at the boy. He saw him coming and blocked his first attack. The ninja made a second attempt to slash the boy, but that attack was blocked as well. The ninja suddenly made an upward thrust and cut the boy's cheek with his blade. The ninja then slashed the dazed boy's arm and then his side. The ninja lifted his sword to decapitate the boy, but just as he brought his sword down, the boy took out his second sai and caught the blade, just inches from his neck. One quick twist of the sai, and the ninja's blade was broken. The boy then thrusted his sai into the ninja's face. Blood sputtered from the ninja's face and part of his face was coming off. The sai had penetrated his left eye and stabbed his brain. When the boy withdrew his sai, pieces of the brain stuck on the blade. The boy discarded the dead ninja's body and turned to the girl.

"Are you okay?" he asked, whipping some of the blood and brain from his sai.

"I think so. Who're you?"

"My name is Tai. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"You're hurt."

"I'll be fine, let's get out of here."

Tai put his sais back in his belt and sheathed his sword. He took the girl's hand and lead her through the flames. The fire alarm had gone off, so it was pretty safe to assume everyone was awake. Tai hoped so, saving that little girl was going to be hard enough.

Sora, Matt and Izzy ran towards the flaming house. People were crowding around and the police were already starting to arrive. Sora looked at the burning house, tears welling up in her eyes. "Tai," she said quietly. 

"Hold on, Sora. We don't know for a fact that Tai is in there." Izzy said, trying to reassure his friend.

"But what if he is?! He could be in trouble, we have to help him!"

Before anyone could stop her, Sora was running off to try to find a way in the house. Meanwhile, inside the house, Tai definitely could've used Sora's help. Ninjas kept jumping him left and right. Tai didn't have that much trouble fighting them off, (he was specially trained to handle ambush situations) but he was still losing blood from the first fight and it was easy battling a protecting a little girl. As Tai was busy finishing one ninja off, another one jumped him from behind. Tai was pinned to the ground by the ninja standing on his back. The ninja took his sword and stabbed into Tai's already injured right arm. Tai quickly took a sai in his good arm and stabbed the ninja in the leg. The ninja lost his balance and Tai slowly got up. He looked up in just in time to see five ninjas leap from the ceiling. Tai felt the burning wood floor start to break under his feet. "Uh oh." He muttered.

The very second the ninjas landed on the floor, it collapsed. Everyone fell into the burning basement. Tai got up and grabbed the girl. Some of the ninjas were already burning and the floor above them was still collapsing. Tai grabbed the girl's hand and tried to find an exit, while dodging burning debre. "Wait, there's supposed to be an escape passage in here, I think." The little girl shouted. Sure enough, Tai spotted a vent out of the corner of his eye. The vent was big enough for both the girl and Tai to fit through, only problem was that it was on the other side of the still raising flames.

Tai looked around desperately. The heat was almost unbearable and it was getting hard to breath. He saw a dead ninja with his supply belt on. Luckily for Tai and the little girl, only the top half of the ninja got burned. Tai took the ninja's belt and rummaged through it and found a grappling hook. The flames were too high for them to swing across, but maybe, "I've got an idea." Tai said as he grabbed the little girl and took her to a corner on the basement that wasn't burning.

Tai got up on a crate and aimed the hook shot carefully. He fired it and it stuck deeply into the other wall. He yanked on the rope a few times to make sure it was secure, then he tied the other end of it to the wall. He climbed onto the rope and held onto it like he would if he was climbing it. He told the girl to copy his action and they slowly made their way over the still raising flames. "I can't see!" the girl exclaimed from behind him.

Tai looked back at the girl and extended his hand to her. "Take my hand and climb on my back." He instructed. The girl slowly climbed onto his back and held on for dear life as they continued their fire walk. Tai was beginning to be blinded by all of the flames and he was getting slightly burned as well. With tears in his dry eyes, Tai continued across the rope until he ran into the wall. He cautiously opened his eyes to see that they had safely made it across, and not a moment too soon.

"You okay back there?" Tai asked. The little girl shuddered and was still grasping Tai's shirt tightly. "I'm scared!" she said, crying into his shirt. Tai let the girl down and hugged her reassuringly. "Don't worry. It'll be okay, I'll protect you." He said softly to the poor frightened girl. He took her hand and carefully lead her through the escape passage.

"TAI!!! TAI!!!" Sora yelled as she ran to the backyard of the mansion. She saw a few people gathering there and thought Tai would be too. No such luck. She looked around for any sign of Tai she could find. She slowly scanned the building up and down. Some slight movement on the fifth floor caught her attention. She strained to get a clearer look. At first, she couldn't tell if the movement was inside or outside of the house. "Are those," Sora said quietly to herself. Before Sora could confirm what she saw, three black figures crashed out of the first floor window, brandishing ancient Asian weapons. "Ninjas!"

Sora held up her Bo and prepared to face the ninjas. Even though she was scared to death about fighting experienced killers, she didn't let the world see it. 'I don't know what to do. I'll be lucky if I survive a battle with one of these guys, but three!? Oh, boy. Well, whatever happens, I'll go down fighting bravely, just like Tai would!' Sora thought to herself as the ninjas rushed at her, she being the only one there with a weapon. She was barely able to block their attacks. They were much more experienced than she was. She suffered a cut to her left hand and a slashed to her right arm. She was then cut in the face, mid section, and knocked to the ground. The three ninjas stood in front of her in a line and the middle ninja held his sword back to thrust it through her chest.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the ninja through his sword at her, but Sora was able to deflect it. Unfortunately, it hit her in her left arm. The blade had completely penetrated her arm. Sora moaned in pain a bit when the ninja pulled the blade out of her arm. Just then, two sais flew through the air, striking the other two ninjas in the back of the head, killing them both. "Get away from her!" the voice of a young man called out to the remaining ninja. The ninja turned around to see a boy warrior wearing a blue T-shirt and goggles standing protectively in front of a little girl. "Tai," Sora said weakly with a light smile on her face.

The ninja growled and grabbed Sora around the neck. He held his blade to her neck, stopping Tai in his tracks. Tai narrowed his eyes and leered at the ninja. "Taking the easy way, I see." He said. "You don't want to fight me, so you take a hostage. Is that doing your clan honor, refusing to fight like a coward." Tai knew these Blood Dragon ninjas, if there's one thing that would get to them, it's the thought of bringing disgrace and dishonor to the clan, for those who did, would be executed in horrible ways.

"Don't worry, young man," the ninja started. "you'll get your battle, after I kill her!"

Terror struck Tai like lighting as the ninja prepared to slash the throat of his beloved. With out warning, a third sai went flying through the air and planted itself in the ninja's heart. Sora, who was weak from injury and fear, collapsed along with the dead ninja. Tai ran over to help her to her feet. Sora wrapped her arms around his waist so tightly, he had difficulty breathing. Sora looked into his face to see a shocked expression drawn on it. "What's wrong, Tai? You had to kill them, no one blames you. By the way, that was great work with that last sai." Sora complimented. "I didn't even see it coming! It's like you didn't even throw it."

"I didn't." Tai said, he then pointed a finger at the one who had thrown that fatal sai. Sora looked over to see who he was pointing to and her jaw dropped open. "Chitose?!"


	9. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
Author's Note: In response to Biyomon's question, Sora didn't REALLY get hit with an arrow, that was just a dream Tai had.  
  
Brace Face Part Nine  
  
Sora was shocked to see that the girl who had saved her was the girl who had tried to destroy her. "Why did you save me?" she shouted at Chitose. "I thought you hated me." Chitose sighed and walked over to where Sora was leaning on Tai for support. When she was a few feet away from them, she looked straight at Sora with narrowed eyes. "I saved you," she started, but paused for a second to look around before she continued. "Only because it would've killed Taichi to see you die. I'm still burning with jealousy, but look what it got me. My house is burned down, lives were lost because of me, and through it all, Taichi refused to let go of your heart. He hates me and he loves you, so I'll leave you alone from now on. That doesn't change anything, though, I still love Taichi and I will always hate you."  
  
That said, Chitose turned around and walked off to where her family was huddled. Her little sister ran up to her parents and told them about how Tai had rescued her. Chitose's parents happily took their youngest daughter in their arms and walked over to where Tai and Sora still stood, while Matt and Izzy ran towards them. "Young man," the mother started, her eyes tearing up a bit. "you saved our daughter?" Sora looked at Tai proudly. He returned her smile. "Yes, I did."  
  
Her parents fell to their knees, as if to praise Tai for his brave act. "We can't thank you enough young man! How can we ever repay you?" her mother said, tearing up a bit. Tai got a thought-full look on his face. He didn't really want anything in return, but who would pass an opportunity like this? "I don't really expect anything in return, but I do except tokens of gratitude. If you would be so kind as to let me keep the very weapons I used to save your daughter life, then,"  
  
"They're yours!" the father broke in. They once again thanked Tai for protecting their daughter, then left to rejoin their children. The whole family walked off to gather the few possessions they managed to save from the fire, then they left to spend the night at a fancy, five star hotel. Chitose looked over her shoulder at the couple, then joined the rest of the family, disappearing form their sight. That was the last they had seen of her.   
  
" 'Be so kind'? When did you get so polite? You sound like Izzy." Sora commented. Tai glared at her playfully. "Just what is THAT supposed to mean!?" They laughed until Matt and Izzy skidded to a stop behind them. "Are you guys okay?" Izzy asked upon seeing their wounds. "We better go. We don't want to get in the fire department's way and there's an ambulance out front. They'll tend to your wounds. Don't want to get an infection, do you?"  
  
Tai and Sora sighed as they were led to the front of the building by Izzy and Matt. They both stared at each other glad that the other was alive. Tai brushed the strand of blood soaked bangs clinging to his face. Sora reached her hand out to hold Tai's. She ignored the pain in her hand as Tai held it. She was just happy that they were back together again. She sighed happily and moved in closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder while Tai leaned his head on her head. Matt sighed inwardly and rolled his eyes. He wasn't one for the mushy stuff, but he truly was happy for them.  
  
After their wounds had been tended to, Sora fell asleep in Tai's arms. The police had already called their parents who were coming to pick them up. As Tai watched the sleeping Sora in her arms, he couldn't help but think of her as sort of a hero. After all, she did risk her life to save him, which she did indirectly. If Sora hadn't tried to rescue him, then she wouldn't have beaten the martial students, the Blood Dragon Clan wouldn't have wanted to seek revenge on Chitose, and she wouldn't have untied him. Tai sighed and gently removed Sora's hat. He kissed her on top of the head and snuggled up a bit. Then he thought about how his parents were going to react about what he'd been through. "I'll tell 'em about it tomorrow." Tai said sleepily, as he slowly drifted off with Sora still nestled in his arms.  
  
The End  



End file.
